Holistic health is an approach to healing that takes into account the whole person, placing specific
emphasisonaconnectionofmind,body,andspirit.Ratherthanfocusingonsimplymanagingsymptoms
and illnesses, this method of treatment attempts to go beyond merely eliminating the unpleasant
indicatorsofdisease.Instead,itencouragesandsupportsthebodytohealitselfwithanoverallgoalof
totalwellness.
‘Holistic health’ is sometimes an umbrella term most often used when discussing Alternative &
ComplementaryMedicine(CAM)–whicharethosetherapiesthathavecharacteristicallynotbeenapart
ofconventionalWesternmedicinepractices.Itisimportantto note,however,thatthereisadifference
between the two: alternative therapies are typically used in place of conventional medicine; whereas,
complementarytherapiescanbeusedinconjunctionwithconventionalmedicine.
What’s more, complementary medicine and conventional medicine have recently been combined in a
specificmanner,producingtheconceptof‘integrativemedicine’(IM).TheUniversityofArizona’sCenter
forIntegrativeMedicinedefinesthistermas“healing‐orientedmedicinethattakesaccountofthewhole
person,includingallaspectsoflifestyle.Itemphasizesthetherapeuticrelationshipbetweenpracticioner
andpatient,isinformedbyevidence,andmakesuseofallappropriatetherapies.”Infact,thismethodof
integrative healing is likely what most closely matches the World Health Organization’s definition of
health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well‐being and not merely the absence of
diseaseorinfirmity.”
The basis of this approach to healing is rooted in the idea that a whole person is made up of
interdependent parts and if one part is not working properly, all the other parts can be affected. For
example,ifapersonhasanimbalanceintheirlife,itcannegativelyaffecttheiroverallhealthandpresent
as disease within the body. Biological, psychological, behavioral and spiritual factors can contribute to
personalhealthoutcomes.Evensocialdeterminantsofhealthcanplayarole,oftenhavingjustasmuchof
animpactonaperson'soverallhealthasgenetics.Therefore,itisnotenoughtodiagnoseillness;instead,
we need to identify contributing factors and environmental influences that can consequently lead to
diseaseanddeterminethebestwaytoreturnthebodytoastateofhomeostasis.
Continuousdevelopmentsinpublichealthpoliciesandtheimplementationofpreventativemeasurescan
lead to improved health outcomes, and these positive efforts are in line with several changes in the
healthcare field as we are beginning to shift the focus to proactively managing the health of all
populations rather than post‐symptomatic treatment of disease. By focusing on prevention and
encouragingactiveparticipationinone’shealthcare,wecanlikelyreducecostlymedicalproceduresand
hospitalizations.What’smore,by developingspecificpoliciesandprocedures,wecancontinuetopush
for evidence‐based, demonstrably effective therapies to be covered/reimbursed by health insurance
policies. Together, these policy changes and funding mechanisms could help reduce overall healthcare
costswhileimprovingqualityoflife.
Creating an interdisciplinary studies major based around the theme of holistic health allows me to
furtherexplorethisareaofpersonalinterest.Bytakingabiopsychosocialapproachinrespecttochoosing
specificcourses,Icanbetterlearnhowbiological,psychologicalandsocialprocessesinteracttoproduce
certainhealthoutcomes.WiththecoreofmyclassesstemmingfromKinesiology,Iwillbeprovidedwith
sufficientknowledgeinthestructureandfunctionofthehumanbody.Whenthisiscoupledwithspecific
classes from Psychology and Anthropology/Sociology departments, I will be given a broader
understanding of psychological, cultural and societal influences on health. This focus will effectively
preparemetocontinuemyeducationviagraduateprogramsineitherhealthpolicyorsocialwork.
The12coursesthatwouldcomprisemycorewouldbedistributedasfollowing:
ANTH100 IntrotoCulturalAnthropology
BIOL150 CellBiology*
KINE205 HumanAnatomy&Physiology*
KINE235 IntrotoPublicHealth*
KINE260 Nutrition*
KINE330 StructuralKinesiology*
*coursecompleted
KINE360 PhysiologyofExercise*
KINE410 DirectedResearch*
PSYC230SocialPsychology
PSYC290 Statistics*
PSYC351 HealthPsychology*
SOCI110 IntrotoSociology*
ThismajorwillculminateinaCapstoneprojectwhereinIwillresearchPost‐TraumaticStressDisorder
andcomparetheconventionalWestern‐medicinemethodoftreatingthediseasewithCAM/IMmethods
ofhealing,including(butnotlimitedto):psychotherapy,animaltherapy,yoga/meditation,acupuncture,
andherbalmedicine.ThisresearchwillresultinapaperthatwillthenbegradedbymyInterdisciplinary
Studies Committee. With military suicides estimated by the Department of Veteran Affairs to be at the
rate of 22/day, there is no better time than now to determine what course of treatment is the most
effectiveintermsofsuccessrates,durationoftreatments,cost‐effectiveness,andeaseofaccess.
WorksCited
"WhatisIM?"ArizonaCenterforIntegrativeMedicine:.N.p.,n.d.Web.24July2015.
“WHODefinitionofHealth.”WorldHealthOrganization,n.d.Web.24July2015.